Monday, March 12, 2012

Will Bar Louie bring Velocity homeowners the noise?

Will "sound clouds" quiet the revels of zombies?
Comments on the Velocity Homeowners elist indicate that the Bar Louie restaurant chain is not exactly endearing itself to its new neighbors with construction noise or the potential for music reverberations to pulsate up the building once it eventually does arrive in The Gulch. Residents above the planned restaurant are awakened at 7:30 each morning lately to the sounds of pounding and sawing construction down below.

Originally, construction crews told concerned residents that soundproofing inside walls and ceilings was not in the plans. A former Bar Louie employee told them that the company's brand includes mounting speakers inside the restaurant's ceilings and cranking up music with "thumping bass" until 2:00am. That conflicts with what BL owner Anthony Marougi told a Velocity homeowner who called their Michigan corporate office. According to Mr. Marougi, the company plans to put in "a layer of spray foam soundproofing on the ceiling" and hang "sound clouds" from the ceiling to absorb noise.

Bar Louie ownership has promised Velocity leaders that they will be coming to Nashville soon and they pledged to meet with leadership. We shall see whether the owners are good neighbors or homeowners might awaken at some future time to the noise of early morning "Kegs & Eggs Parties".

8 comments:

  1. Perhaps the homeowners belong in Bellevue.

    It's nice to get buy-in from neighbors and concerned parties, but unless there is a request for a zoning waiver, Bar Louie is within the boundaries of what one may have anticipated in the building.

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    1. Anonymous, clearly the homeowners who purchased condos above the Velocity retail space were promised the quiet enjoyment of their residences. In fact, that language existed within the master documents. However, when the Velocity was given back to the bank by the developers, those documents were altered to fit the current use as a bar/nightclub. It is not outside the realm of possibilities that these owners are being hoodwinked.

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    2. (nice feature with the replies, by the way)

      If there's fraud, I'm all for exposing it.

      However, there is nothing "clear" about what is in the "master documents" you reference; I can't see them and they are referenced nowhere except your post.

      Are you referring to the article above that doesn't quote an unamed construction crew telling unnamed residents something about soundproofing?

      I agree with your last sentence.

      I also think there's a difference between construction (which has a completion date, albeit several months away) and a loud bar that is expected to be situated there for years. Although, each are guided by Metro regs.

      I'm sympathetic for the residents of Velocity, but I've to admit that I'm more sympathetic to those fighting an asphalt plant or the siting of a baseball stadium in their neighborhoods, or those who are fighting a change in zoning requested by developer.

      Brian

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    3. The homeowners belong where they bought a condominium with certain restictions that later got revised by a majority real estate turn around firm that doesn't care about the quality of life of those original 43 owners. Pollack will do fine with their short term investment and so will the 43 in due time. In the meantime, folks who bought to actually reside in that building are handcuffed and mostly at the mercy of who eventually buys from Pollack. It's one thing to experience the loss in value due to the downturn. It's another to lose value and control over your HOA regulations.

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  2. as an owner above the construction zone i am awakened by 7 am every morning by the noise. i am more than skeptical that any amount of soundproofing is going to help. Nobody seems to give a shit about homeowners at velocity anyways. I'm beyond angry with this building, it's developers, it's builders and it's current owners.

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    1. Aside from the construction noise, what are your complaints? I don't live there or have any connection to the building. Just wondering what other negative things there are about Velocity.

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  3. What on earth did you expect to move into the retail spaces under you?? I think you need to focus on the fact that your building is filling the retail space. This helps to pay the bills & may help keep you HOA cost from rising. It will also help your resale chances. If you wanted a senior center you moved to the wrong area! Have a damn drink & enjoy life. STOP WHINING!! From a happy Gulch resident.

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  4. There always a bad apple who tries to spoil the bunch! I live in the building as well what is the problem? Move out go to the burbs if you plan on living in in a urban downtown project expect bars and nightclubs. Barrys bootcamp is also going to be loud, but at the end of the day it brings value to the whole project & having high end uses. I have been to Bar Louie in my past it's a great place and it's not their fault if the developer didn't have a noise provision. GET OVER IT DUDE! I am excited to see it fill up it's going to add value. You have a choice move out or enjoy your place. We need it for our economy.

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